Smart or Hidden Intellect?
by aedgley
Summary: Fem/Harry. Heather Learned to hide in plain site. *Disclaimer* I do not own Harry Potter. *Note* I am not sure when I will update, but hopefully it will be soon.


Heather was abused.

Heavily.

In every way imaginable.

Yet, she did not break.

Her name was Heather Evangeline Evans Potter _not _Freak, abomination or Whore.

Her parents loved her.

Her parents did not die in a drunken car crash.

Her parents were not drunken lay-abouts.

Her parents were killed.

Heather was highly intelligent but knew to hide it or she would be beaten bloody… again.

When she was four, Dudley started Pre-School up in London, while Petunia and Vernon worked. Heather knew better than to ask if she was going to school too. Freaks didn't deserve to go to school where they might contaminate the 'normal' children with their freakishness.

When they left at 5 that first morning, they locked Heather out of the House until they returned between 7 and 8 at night.

No food.

No water.

Not a pot to pee in.

No jacket.

And to top it off, it started to rain and there was no shelter around the house.

Out of pure desperation to get out of the rain, she wandered from the house and eventually came across a local public library.

Going inside, they had one of the warm fans in the entry way, so when she entered, she felt like she was being blow dried with the warm air. It felt so good that she stood there until she was dry and warm again. Then she wandered in.

It was big, beautiful, welcoming and cozy.

"Excuse me, Ma'am? How do I get a library card?"

"Right up here, Dear."

Five minutes later, she had her own library card.

Wandering about, she found the computers. It took a few minutes to figure out how to log on and a few more to find the program she needed.

She had some issues with the searching the internet, but she managed. She found the local primary school and signed up online for kindergarten. School would actually start the following Monday so she had to find some way to preoccupy herself for the next week.

Well, she moseyed thru the library for a while and eventually found a flier. For free classes at the local H&F (Health and Fitness) center for kids 12 and younger. There was a similar flier for the Community center for kids 12 and younger.

Getting back on the computer, she found the location in comparison to the library. She glanced outside and saw it had stopped raining temporarily. Gathering her papers, off she went.

Getting the H&F Center, she wandered about until she found a yoga class just starting. Then it was a Capoeira class. She had no idea what it was but it looked fun so in she went. Then basic gymnastics.

Then it was off to the community center where she found a basic computer class. Then piano and drawing. Then back to the library, where she stayed until 7:30. From there, she returned to the house, arriving mere seconds after the Dursleys entered the house. Slipping, inside, she darted in, around and into the downstairs closet at the foot of the stairs. It was actually a good size to be a small office and even had a window but it was completely empty and unused save for a love seat of all things. She settled in to read from the book she found at the library. It was a self-help book on meditation, inner peace and improving the memory and recall.

She was doing meditation exercises when she fell asleep.

The next day, she was careful to wake up early. She packed up three pre-packaged 'healthy' (and therefore undesirable) sandwiches, a Jerky/cheese packet, a tuna fish/chips pack and a bottle of water into a discarded satchel that Petunia had thrown away because it was 'so second season'.

While preparing her newly acquired bag, she found several bills in one of the pockets. Then she remembered.

The last time Petunia had used that bag had been on a Saturday at the beginning of the summer, when she went to play Bingo. She always had to bring cash because they didn't accept cheques or cards. Apparently, Petunia had won nicely that day, judging by the 500 dollars in Heather's hands.

With a thought, she darted about checking under and between cushions and thru laundry pockets… and found another 100 dollars, which she stashed in the bag.

Then she slipped out of the laundry room, to the back mudroom and then outside between the house and garage, making sure to leave that back door unlocked.

First was a visit to the Health Center for her morning exercise.

Then to the library where she opened a checking account online. The card would come in the mail the next week.

She wandered about and found a donations' shop. Collecting a plastic bag, she wandered the rows. She found clothes that were her size, or a little bigger. Pants, shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, a coat, hat, mittens, boots and tennis shoes. Just big enough for her to grow into but not so large that she looked ridiculous. Two sets of gym clothes as well. Then a stocked backpack for school.

Then back to Privet drive where she put her clothes in her new bedroom.

When wandering, she had found a dollar store. So she wandered in. Packs of panties and socks, soap, shampoo, hairbrush, hair ties, coloring books, 2 pairs of generic canvas tennis shoes. School Zone Workbooks, activity books, and a cheap self-assembly student desk… and a red wagon to haul it in.

She paid and off she went. The wagon was hidden between the house and garage (which was enclosed by a tall privacy fence to either side. She brought everything inside (boy was that desk a pain in the butt) and into her room, where she tried to organize everything. It took her nearly 2 hours to put the desk together but when she did, she was very proud of herself… and very tired.

Then she realized she forgot something. Her desk didn't have a chair. And she had no shelves.

One folding chair and a dozen plastic crates and a spool of craft wire later and she called it good for the day. She stacked up the crates like steps. One stack of 3 were wired together with a stack of 2 connected to that and then 1. These were then moved to frame the desk, which was under the front window. The desk was pretty much a table with a shallow hutch on the back. It had three drawers down the side and two drawers under the hutch.

She finished settling in just in time to go out the back, down the alley and trot up the road while the Dursleys pulled in.

Again, she slipped in a minute behind them and went straight to her room,

Wednesday after her exercise at the H&F Center, was more wandering where she found her way to a free clinic for a full physical, her inoculations, an eye exam and a dental exam. She was taught how to brush her teeth and given her own toothpaste and toothbrush. She was put on a PediaSure Nutrient Shake because she was too small and without proper vitamins, her growth might be stunted. She played at having no money and they gave her a prescription for it thru the clinic's pharmacy. Each pack had 16 individual servings of the shake. She was supposed to drink it twice a day so she would be expected every Friday after school for her next batch of shakes. Luckily, they didn't require refrigeration unless the seal was broken.

Thursday started with her morning shake, her exercise at the H&F center, and then several hours at the Community Center. Then a few hours at the library and a few more at the H&F Center.

Friday was the same.

That weekend, while the Dursleys were in the lounge watching TV, Heather cleaned out the cupboard that used to be her room.

Then she approached Petunia.

"If you are going to keep leaving me alone during the week, I need a daily allowance so I can get food each day." Petunia bristled. "I know you don't care if I starve to death but the facts are what they are. People know who I am and where I live and who I live with. You might not mind if I starve but _they _will if only because it isn't natural." Petunia instantly went pale. "From my math, I need 38 dollars a day for food and drink. That is 190 dollars a week unless you include the weekends, which brings it to 266 dollars a week." This made her paler. Neither number was divisible by 3… and it had too. She couldn't stand spending money if it wasn't evenly divisible by 3. Then Petunia reached into her purse and gave her 300 dollars in 20s. 300 was safely divisible by 3.

"Go… Go away."

Heather went and collected an envelope to put the money in and she went to her bedroom.

On Monday, as per usual, she was kicked out of the house at 5 AM. She went to exercise and then at 8 AM, she went to school, where she got free hot breakfast. Classes were from 8:30 until 2:45. During that time, she got breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks. For free. Dinner and a third snack too if she stayed for an extra hour.

Which she did.

So all three meals, 3 snacks, all covered, 6 days a week.

Plus free classes in the H&F and Community centers?

Regular medical check-ups, clothes and school supplies… all free.

And on top of that, she was getting 300 dollars a week from Petunia who would _never _tell Vernon how much she was giving Heather for food each week.

She was covered.

Despite her intelligence, she kept her classes at a B-C average. Her book studies: Math, Science and English were all maintained at a solid C-Average. The Art, Music and Gym classes were maintained at a solid B-Average. This enabled her to not be required to repeat the classes, be low enough that she could sign up for summer school and begin first grade without requiring any signatures from the Dursleys. This meant that by her fifth birthday, she was halfway thru first Grade.

It was at the end of kindergarten that she found another useful flyer. A newspaper company was looking for runners. For every 50 paper route delivered, the runner would earn 10 dollars. The only requirement was you had to be 5 years old or older.

Considering how early she woke, she went to take a look… and liked it.

For the month of August, she delivered 2 routes of 50 each morning in 2 hours, for 6 days a week.

In September she did 3 routes in 2 hours.

October she did 4 routes in 2 hours.

In November, she did 5 routes in those two hours.

In December, she did 6 routes in two hours and maintained that pace until snow thaw in March. Yes, by this point she was making more each week than Petunia was paying her for food. Did Petunia know this? No. Were the Dursleys going to know?

Not if she could help it.

In December, she finished first grade, while Dudley was in the middle of Kindergarten.

In January, she added an extra hour to her routes and dropped the pace back to 2 routes an hour. She also started second grade.

In February, she went up to seven routes in three hours.

In March, she went up to eight routes.

In April, she went up to nine routes. This was 3 routes an hour. 90 dollars a day, 6 days a week. 540 dollars a _week. _Plus 300 a week from Petunia.

In April, Dudley finished Kindergarten… and somehow managed to fail and be held back if he didn't attend summer school.

While he attended summer school in London, Heather attended summer school in Surry and finished second grade.

In July, she turned 6. At 6 years of age, she had the basic skill in yoga, tai chi, capoeira, ballet, breakdancing, jazz dance, piano, guitar, lap harp, Gymnastics, tumbling, acrobatics, Latin, French, Arabic, drawing, painting, weaving, cursive, printing, and computer use. She also had just over 30 thousand dollars in her checking account.

But she was just finishing second grade.

And life continued.

She finished her GSEDs just before her eleventh birthday and received an acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

She didn't want to go but wasn't given a choice. She was dragged shopping by Hagrid and instantly pinpointed several things that just would not work.

Owl Post? Uh-uh. Owls weren't common in Surry and would draw too much attention. Especially the snowy owl that Hagrid bought her because 'cats made _him_ sneeze.' And an owl carrying a package or a letter? It would be on the evening news in jig time.

Parchment, quills and ink? Hell, no.

Printer paper? _Maybe_. Fountain pen? _Maybe._

Parchment? No.

Quills? No.

Old Fashioned Wood trunk for luggage?

No.

That would draw just as much negative attention as an owl carrying post.

No way, no how, uh-uh.

So after Hagrid dumped her at King's Cross Train Station (and 'forgot' to tell her how to get on the platform), she turned around and went back. Stop 1 was the travel shoppe for a proper luggage that she had seen in the window.

Investigating it in person she found it had multiple configurations: The wheeled luggage, a trunk, a backpack, a cross-chest satchel or a Magical Door, which opens to a furnished and stocked one bedroom flat.

Considering this luggage costed the same as the original trunk… it was a far better deal.

Thank goodness, she had ignored Hagrid's telling her to only grab the small money pouch, (which would only hold 100 galleons) and fill it with 50 galleons for her school supplies. She 'accidentally' grabbed the pouch connected directly to her vault, so she didn't have to lug about a bunch of gold if she didn't want too.

She purchased the luggage but as she wandered about the shoppe, she found other things. The Portable Library. A Meal Card. Self-Adjusting self-cleaning Contact Lenses. Protective Jewelry; multi-location, reusable transport cards.

'Homeschooler's Self-Updating, Self-Grading All-in-One Standard Curriculum, Levels 1 thru 13, World Ministry and International Confederation of Wizards Approved' All in One Text with a Homeschooler's Magic Use Permit, Learner's Wand and At-Home Dorm Room.

What in the world was a time turner? After reading the instructions Heather was completely stumped. Why would such a device be sold openly? Sure it went back 24 hours at a time, with a maximum of 7 days at a time, but… seriously? It was sold without a care or concern! Anybody could do anything with it!

Pause. If she timed it right, she could attend a day at Hogwarts, jump back 24 hours, repeat the day and still attend Stonewall High that same day… Neither the Dursleys, nor anyone else, needed to know that she ever left Surry to attend a school of magic.

Hmm. What an idea…

She got 2… just in case of course.

Heather returned to Privet Drive and tucked her purchases away.

She waited for the familiar snores of her cousins to echo thru the house before she went thru the purchases. She started by hooking up the 'at home' dorm room inside her closet. Upon entering, she immediately concluded that the designer needed to redefine their definition of 'small dorm room'. A dorm room is _one room _with a closet and a bathroom. _This _'dorm room' was a whole apartment! It had a kitchen, dining room, lounge, green house, potions lab, personal library and anti-magic room plus bedroom, bathroom and a walk-in closet that would make most movie stars jealous!

It was fully furnished and stocked.

She unpacked everything, putting it where it belonged, and without thinking, she threw the protective necklace on without reading the warning.

The necklace protected against mind invasion, compulsions, potions and possession. If she was possessed or currently under compulsions or potions, when she put it on, the necklace would immediately go to work on removing the outside influence. As it was, she got a searing migraine _instantly_. She made it to the bed just in time to black out.

~~~ To Be Continued ~~~


End file.
